Search & Rescue
by Hboy20
Summary: When Buffy and the Gang search for Dawn, nothing will prepare them for what they will have to face in Bon Temps.
1. Prologue

The air was cold, but with all things considered, Buffy welcomed it without second thought. She zipped her sweater up more than half way, but left a small space open, just in case. The heat was coming soon, whether it came from nature, or from her body. Looking out into the distant road that she and her friends had been traveling on for what seemed like days, she refrained from crying, placing a hard, emotionless face in its place.

_I failed. _

Aside from the altercation that would serve as the last interaction the two of them would have, the thought of failure was the only thought that had stayed in Buffy's mind since Dawn disappeared. Her friends had remained hopeful that dawn would come back after she calmed down, but since the moment Dawn stormed out of the Summer's home, hours became days. Days became weeks. Weeks became months.

And months became death.

"I hate you Buffy. I'd kill you just to have mom back," was the last thing Dawn had said to Buffy as she stormed out of house. Usually Buffy would throw a snide remark back to show Dawn that her words had no effect on her, but this time was different. It wasn't just her words, it was her eyes. Buffy always knew when Dawn was lying or when she was speaking out of emotions, but this time Buffy knew this was something Dawn truly meant. How long had Dawn contemplated killing her, Buffy had no idea. And by the looks of it, she would never know.

"Hey Buff. You ok?"

Buffy was startled by the voice, but her body didn't show it. She knew she was in no danger, for the voice was as soft as a mouse's squeak yet held much power in it.

"If that's what you want to call it," Buffy responded, remaining motionless as Willow stood next to her. Sensing that it was necessary, Willow placed her head on Buffy's shoulder softly and held onto Buffy's arm. From slaying vampires to killing gods to destroying hellmouths and everything in between, Buffy wouldn't have imagined that her and Willow would come this far with their friendship still intact and stronger than ever. It was definitely unbelievable, but Buffy was grateful that even the superhero, as many would deem her, had a shoulder to cry on.

"I miss her so much," Buffy whispered, refusing to let her voice tremble. "This is entirely all my fault Will."

"Buffy…" Willow started then stopped. Dawn had now became a touchy subject to speak about and had to choose her words carefully. "Buffy, we all miss her. But don't count her as dead. She is alive. I can feel it."

"Does this feeling come from magic or intuition?"

"Ummm…both?" Willow lied. Horribly.

As much as Buffy didn't want to, her lips cracked and formed the tiniest grin that only Willow would catch. "Willow, you suck," Buffy sighed, as she rested her head on top of Willow's. With no words necessary, the energy that each other was giving off relayed gratefulness and appreciation of one another.

"Hey gang. We should be up and running pretty soon," came a sudden voice. Not necessarily destroying the moment, but contributing to it. "Do any of you gals need to use the potty or want anything to munch on?"

"No Xander," both Buffy and Willow answered at the same time.

"Ok then. Well Old Reliable seems to be ready to go. Just filled him up and he is full!"

Breaking off of Buffy, Willow walked towards Xander giving him a playful shove, attempting to lighten up the mood a bit more. "As a matter of fact, I could use a snack. But then again how far do we have left?"

"Well I just asked the clerk inside and he said that we still have an hour left before we finally get to Bon Temps. So unless you're really hungry, you should be fine with something small."

"_Bon Temps..." _Buffy thought, feeling her face go back to the cold and strong face it had held previously. Not sure if it was evil or Dawn, as Buffy so hoped it would be, Willow's magic had insisted that something awaited the gang in Bon Temps.

"Whatever it is, it better be ready," Buffy said just above a whisper. Taking two steps backward, Buffy executed a swift about-face and headed towards her friends, leaving her guilt behind her and embraced the Slayer in her.

"Racist fucks."

Tara became enraged at her thoughts as she reflected on her day that was coming to a close. Although this day had not been one out of the normal, she maintained the thought that when it came to the people in Bon Temps, it was either friend or foe.

And not many she would give the pleasure of being called friend.

There was one except though: Sookie Stackhouse. Her best friend since they were children. And no matter how many times Sookie would find trouble in her path, whether she was asking for it or not, Tara would always be there to help Sookie. The only problem was that Sookie was a lone warrior in a sense. You could tell her not to do something, but Sookie does what Sookie feels needs to be done. Period.

"I swear that girl gets on my nerves," Tara said out loud, not ashamed to express her thoughts vocally. She was originally planning on going to what she called her home, but thought better and changed her mind to go see Sookie. No doubt that by the time she got there, Sookie was already in trouble, or going to knock on its door. Shoving her thumbs inside of her jean pockets, Tara let out a deep breath and looked up into the sky. When did the sun go down?

"Fuck."

Surely, the vampires would be out and about by now. Not that they had been a big problem in Bon Temps before. But ever since Sookie began to involve herself fully with Mr. Bill Compton, the quiet town of Bon Temps seemed to be getting a bit louder every day. Coincidence?

Not to Tara.

Refusing to show any sort of fear, Tara continued on the usual path she took to Sookie's, determined to get to her destination unscathed. All these years, she had been lucky in avoiding unnecessary altercations with vampires and was definitely not about to allow her luck to just run out on her. Keeping this mind frame as her stroll became one step away from a jog, her heart was lightened as she began to see Sookie's house in the distance. But just as she was about to call out thanks to the lord above, a snap of a twig behind her stopped her immediately.

"Alright," She began in an irritated voice as she quickly looked behind her. "I don't have time for the shit. So just come out right the fuck now."

"You really need to watch your fucking mouth.

Catching her off guard, a deep, feminine voice that came out of nowhere crept up on her and caused her fall. In one smooth motion, she rolled around and moved backward to place space in between her and her assailant. Recognizing her face, she had only had one face to face with her and she had hoped that that would be the only time.

"Look, if you're going to do something, be a real woman and get it over with. Don't try that glamour shit on me."

"That would be a waste of my time. You need to give your little friend Sookie a message."

Feeling more insulted than scared, Tara scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh hell no. You can tell her your own damn self." Deciding to end the conversation on her last note, Tara walked past Pam fearlessly and eager to be out of his icy cold stare. But before she could take the first step past him, Tara felt Pam's hand around her arm holding her in place.

"Look, I could drain you right here and now and not give two shits about it, but I have better things to do with my time than argue with a worthless human. So shut up and listen. You tell Sookie Eric is looking for her and Bill. They know where he will be."

"Hmmm. How does it feel being the messenger bitch?"

Scoffing, Pam flicked Tara back a few feet away, causing the wind to blow of out Tara as he back collided with the dirt floor. Pam took the opportunity and stood over Tara, pulling her up to her own face as she exposed her fangs.

"Next time, don't forget who you're fucking talking to." Pam ended with a hiss and shoved Tara back onto the ground. And in a blink of an eye, she was gone.

Dazed from being thrown to the ground multiple times, Tara managed to find her way to her feet and looked at the trail of dust Pam left behind her.

"I fucking hate this town." She spat. "Fucking vampires."


	2. Breakfast at Merlotte's

Buffy looked out her window determined yet anxious as Xander drove through the unfamiliar streets of Bon Temps. They were definitely a long way from Sunnydale, which was visibly obvious with the lack of stores and abundance of trees and nature that they have been traveling through for some time. Just as Buffy was about to let her eyes close, Xander slowed and eased the car into a parking spot.

"Welcome to Bon Temps ladies! To the left, we have the famous eating establishment of Merlotte's."

"Oh good. I was really getting hungry," Willow said while taking no time to get out of the car. "We can feed our tummies and get a plan started."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Buffy responded as she gave her limbs a much needed stretch. She turned to face the diner and glared at the exterior. Nothing about the outside gave off any signs of a trouble brewing establishment, but from experience, this was not a reliable method of discovering trouble. Had it not been for her being the slayer, she would have been willing to bet money that The Bronze was nothing more than just a night club, let alone a spot where danger was bound to happen.

"Well we are not going to get anything done out here," Buffy announced as she started for the door. Upon entering the diner, she immediately took note of the interior: a bar, pool table, and several tables and booths for eating. Although she was still a bit cautious, she had a strong feeling that there were not going to find anything interesting in this place.

"Hello. Welcome to Merlotte's."

Buffy turned quickly in response to the welcoming voice. She looked at the greeter and gave her a small smile. "Hello. My friends and I were looking to find somewhere to eat."

"Well then y'all came to the right place. If y'all would just follow me, I'll be happy to serve ya," the waitress assured Buffy. The thick southern accent that she gave off told Buffy that they were definitely in foreign territory. All guards would have to be put up for a while.

"If you don't mind me saying, but y'all don't familiar. Bon Temps is such a small town and I think I've seen just about everyone now. Where'd y'all come from?"

"California." Buffy said quickly. She didn't want to engage in too much conversation. Ties would be easier to break if there weren't that many. And truth be told, Buffy wanted to find her sister and leave as quickly as possible.

"Oh that's quite a drive from here. What brings you down all the way here?"

Buffy paused before answering. She didn't want to tell her that she was looking for her run away sister. Why dawn would run all the way here instead of somewhere closer to Sunnydale would guarantee follow up questions that she really didn't want to answer.

"We're he…"

"Roadtrip." Xander quickly responded. "We wanted to go out and see the world you know. We can't really call ourselves Americans without seeing America right?"

"Oh that is so true. I always wanted to go out and see more of the world outside of Bon Temps. But I just never really had the time. But in any case, my name is Sookie and I'll be your waitress. Just wave me over when you're ready to order."

"Will do, Miss Sookie," Xander responded with no attempt to hide his flirting tactics.

"Roadtrip? Really," Willow scoffed as she opened up the menu and began to scan through the menu.

"What? I had to think of something. I assumed Buffy did not want her to know what we were really doing here. Right Buff?

"That is correct. I just want to get Dawn and get out. No need to be here longer than necessary."

"Well I don't know about that. I mean it's a really nice town. We still have to look around and see what the town has to offer us."

"I would be more willing to believe you Xander if you were actually looking at me and not Sookie," Buffy said with her eyes on the Menu herself. Although she wasn't looking at Xander, she knew all too well that he wasn't looking at her either. "As I said, I just want to find Dawn and just get out of here."

"Exactly," Willow began after she closed her menu. "Besides. I feel something in this town."

"Is it Dawn?" Buffy asked a bit too enthusiastically.

"No. But it's…it's mystic. Either its some creature of some sort or Im not the only witch here."

"Are we on top of another hellmouth?" Xander asked, finally joining in on the conversation as his previous distraction had gone into the back.

"No. Not a hellmouth. But something is definitely here."

"Well we are just going to have to wait until the right time to find out what it is. Like the saying goes: the freaks come out at night."

Sookie walked into her house, letting out a sigh of relief. Although today was not too much of a hard day at Merlotte's, she was just happy to finally be home. Tossing her coat onto the back of a chair, she went towards the refrigerator desperately needing a glass of lemonade.

"Have I told you how much I hate Vampires?"

"Yes Tara. You have," Sookie sighed with her head still in the fridge. She didn't want to come up to look at Tara just yet, knowing that she was not happy at the moment.

"Well let me tell you again. I fucking hate those Vampires. Think they so special with they fast ass speed and those ugly ass teeth. They can just burn in hell for all I care."

"Tara, Vampires have every right to life as we do." Sookie replied as she mustered the strength to leave the fridge. Placing the Lemonade on the table, she went towards the cupboard and pulled out two glasses. It was pretty late and it didn't appear as if Tara was going to leave anytime soon. Sookie didn't mind though, with her grandma gone and Jason all out and about, it was nice having company now and them.

"Like hell they do!" Tara countered while taking a gulp form her cup. "Their life ended when they died. And they all should have stayed dead."

"Tara, are you still mad about your run in with Pam?"

"Run in? That bitch assaulted me! Like I am some fucking messenger dog. Well I tell you something, she will get what's coming to her I know that. Even if I have to do it myself."

"Tara…"

"Tara nothing. I'm sick of this shit," Tara finished as she took another gulp from her cup, her eyes looking dead at Sookie.

Almost as if on cue, a knock on the door stopped Sookie form continuing the argument even more. Sookie looked at the door and from the shadow that stood behind the curtain, she had a feeling she knew who it was.

"Oh god. What now?" she sighed as she rolled her eyes. She slammed her hands onto the table to get herself up and walked to open the door.

"Sookie."

"Bill."

"How are you doing this evening?"

"I'm doing alright. Something wrong?"

"No. Well, not really. Not yet. May I," Bill asked nodding his head towards kitchen.

Sookie hesitated for a bit. It had been a while since she had let either Bill or any other vampire into her house. But just as she expected, it wouldn't be long until one of them tracked her down for one thing or another.

"Fine. Come in," Sookie gave in as she moved out of the way to allow Bill to enter. As Bill walked into the kitchen, he quickly caught the sight of Tara and shuddered in his mind.

"Hello miss tara. How are-"

"Fine." Tara answered quickly and icily.

"So what did you need," Sookie asked immediately.

"I spoke with Eric. Seems there is trouble ahead for us."

"And by us, you mean Vampires." Sookie's tone suggested that her response was more of a statement than a question.

"Well yes. But it may pose as a threat to humans as well."

Sookie let out a large sigh. Why she even let her hopes go up into thinking that Bill actually just wanted to see her and talk things out, she will never know. "So what are we dealing with. A ghost? The high powers of the vampire society?"

"A vampire slayer."

Sookie looked at Bill with wide eyes. Tara, who had went in to finish her drink had choked a bit but managed to swallow her. "I'm sorry. You said Vampire slayer. As in one who kills vampires?"

"Yes, among other things."

"Who would be stupid enough to go after and kill vampires. That's just asking for a death wish."

"Not if she was born with the power to do so. She is a very powerful woman not to be underestimated."

"I'm sorry. Did you say woman," Tara asked with a surprised look on her face.

"Well why would she be in Bon Temps? Is looking for vampires to slay?" Sookie asked, finally getting out of her shock.

"Eric tells me that she has come here looking for someone. Someone that does not want to be found nor is he willing to give up."

"A fang banger probably. Maybe she is trying to get her back to knock some sense back into them," Tara interrupted.

"Do we know what she looks like? What her friends look like? I mean if she is a danger, we need to stop her." Sookie asked, ignoring Tara's comment.

"We don't know anything about her except that she is from the west. California, Eric believes."


End file.
